Florida Bills Fanatic

You are correct that the Bills value talent but it will not be acquired without other considerations. They didn't make a trade for AB. It was reported that the Bills were involved in the discussions to acquire him. Whether they were serious about getting him or were just trying to drive up the price, is still not known for sure. I believe that Beane will avoid players that will be distractions, locker room problems, or not adhere to assignments within the scheme being played. I don't care what kind of label people put on this; culture, process, etc..

Gase does have some expertise regarding incompetence. In fact, he also has some considerable experience with incompetence. Just when Jests fans think they have seen it all, their team pulls something new and unique to confound everyone. You couldn't make this stuff up.

I agree with you. Ralph had three good years in the mid-sixties and the Kelly years. There were a couple of other decent years sprinkled in but other than that he was a dumpster fire. Current ownership is off to a good start but needs to put together a sustained level of performance to prove that recent improvements are not an aberration. When it comes to the Sabres, Pegula is very Ralph like. It has been pathetic.

I guess the NFL doesn't think interested viewers have a DVR to watch when they want to. OOPs..I guess that goes for the rest of us that don't like the change...just sayin'.

I believe that you are correct. Jags won't just let him walk and get nothing in return. He will be in high demand, if they make him available. This will drive the price up. Chasing him doesn't seem to fit Beane's approach to team building.

Just so you understand the point of the point of the original post to which I responded. I was agreeing with another person that was tired of the mindless rhetorical drivel that is purveyed as absolute knowledge of future Bills actions. I prefer to read opinions that are based on some semblance of knowledge and data. I do hope that your version of the correct answer above proves to be accurate. ?

Again, clearly you missed the end of the original post.

Obviously you missed the point. Have a nice off season.

The more relevant question is probably who I think will win the SB. My point in my response was that the endless speculation about the draft picks is being made without three of the more important pieces of information. These being which of their own free agents do they sign, which of their players under contract do they release, and which free agents from other teams do they sign. Other posts declare in absolutes that the Bills will do specific things in the draft. IMHO this is ridiculous. I find more value in the posts from people who identify information about some of the hidden gems in the draft that the mainstream sports media misses. To put your analogy in this context, it is tantamount to picking your super bowl winner before the season is played. We all know how valid those kinds of predictions are.

You are absolutely correct. Many posts deal with speculation around draft picks before we even know what needs remain following free agency. Thanks for the dose of common sense.

As usual, most of the comments already made on this subject have it exactly correct. There are better options available than Thuney based on a cost vs. talent comparison. Brady received more pressure up the middle than he had in previous years. It's pretty telling that the Cheatriots extended one interior lineman and not Thuney. They obviously didn't think he was worth keeping around at a price that he would demand. Beane won't break the bank for a marginal upgrade (if it is an upgrade at all).

Right now a McKenzie replacement is probably way down Beane's list of priorities. When they do get a receiver in either the draft or free agency, I believe they will be looking for a guy with decent size, speed and hands to play outside opposite Brown. I think they will pass on getting another smurf. Their activity in free agency as well as the value of the available players at pick 22 will determine whether they go WR, DE, or fill another need.

All I can say for sure is that it's great that the Bills aren't involved in any of this QB turmoil. If anything materializes for Buffalo, it may be an opportunity to upgrade the backup QB position.

I was thinking the same thing. Teams have a tendency to push down the draft value of guys that appear to be injury prone. With so many good WR's in this draft, he may slip to round two.

I'm talking about game tape. Watch all of his plays. This guy can play and really showed it at the end of this season when he finally got to be featured. After Evans and Godwin were injured, Perriman became the number 1 target, saw a lot of double coverage, and still produced. After watching him play, consider whether he would be a significant upgrade over what we have now. IMHO the answer is yes. For those that don't think the guy can play, who do they want Beane to target? Rookies coming out of the draft seldom make the immediate impact desired in their first season. It makes sense for Beane to get a good free agent without breaking the bank and draft a good prospect to develop. Perriman would be a good first step in implementing this approach.

Look at who was throwing him the ball and the length of the passing targets that he received. Watch some game tape, it tells the story on this guy.

I agree with you. Perriman is exactly what the Bills need (size, speed, and great hands). He may cost a little more than some people will expect because he will have more than one team interested. His cost will be less than some of the bigger names being kicked around. I believe that Beane will get an experienced free agent and draft a good prospect to develop. Some people will want the Bills chasing guys like Cooper and Green but I think the cost isn't going to be worth it.

You may be right but I think most of the knowledgeable fans will look at the draft more strategically. They will evaluate the value of the player taken, the likelihood of the player being able to be a real contributor in their first season, and whether the player addresses a need of the team. Most people recognize the main needs of the team include WR, DE, LB, DT, o-line (RT), RB, and CB. There is not a broad consensus on the priority. Some of the needs are to provide good rotational players and depth. IMHO WR, DE, and LB positions require players to be starters or major contributors. Going into this draft, pass rushing DE is in the shortest supply in both the draft and free agency. Beane is not going to neglect DE. If he doesn't get one in free agency, we should expect Beane to make a move early in the draft. This draft class is deep in WR, LB, and DT. If he has to wait to day two to address these in the draft, the Bills will still get very good talent. Just like last year, Beane's moves in free agency (including letting Lawson walk) will tell us about his approach in the draft. We just need to chill and let "The Process" run its course.

I don't get the infatuation that people have for Rivers and Brady. They have been great in the past but I believe time has taken its toll. Neither of these guys showed me much this year and being another year older isn't going to make either of them any better. Neither of these two are going to play on a cheap contract or be okay being a backup. There are better options for teams to bridge the gap until they obtain a young guy to develop for the long term.

Teams typically don't. Coaches are under contract and it is probably written into contracts that they will be made available for promotional opportunities. I can't imagine an agent allowing a client to sign a contact that doesn't provide that latitude.

I know an NFL scout and he told me that there are at least 16 WR's in this year's draft that will grade as third round or better. If he's correct, the Bills should be able to find a good one, even if they wait until day two. Hopefully, we won't end up with another Zay Jones.

Teams are more sophisticated in their analysis of potential free agents than they used to be. PFF generates a lot of raw data but doesn't do a great job of analyzing the factors leading to a specific outcome. Teams study the players real role in specific plays and they understand the assignments and the actual execution by the player. In other posts, it was observed that some of Phillips' sacks were the result of the play being pushed into his lap by another player. I share some of that opinion. IMHO he is not one of the top DT's in the league and is nothing more than a good rotational role player. The only way he gets a big contract is if one of the traditionally bad teams (like the JESTS) gets overly enamored with him. I'm sure Beane knows what he is dealing with and he will let him walk before overpaying.

Okay, put down the bong and step away from the coffee table....lol

Excellent analysis. Thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough job. I agree with everything you have written.

IMHO if they cut him, the four guys going into training camp will be Smith, Knox, Sweeney, and Croom. We should all remember how Beane came to sign Kroft. Buffalo was a dumpster fire at tight end going into 2019. Kroft was about the best free agent out there. Beane paid a reasonably high price to insure that there was at least one capable TE on the roster. No one knew how Knox or Sweeney would work out going into the season. Knowing what they know now, Beane has the option to keep him, trade him or cut him. When Kroft was signed I would say it was more of a relief than love. Honestly, I don't see a huge difference between Sweeney, Knox and Kroft going into 2020, so why spend the money on him? People that think Beane is going to get into the bidding war for Hooper and Henry need to understand that he isn't going to walk away from two promising 2019 draft picks after one season. The team has more pressing needs that will require the expenditure of cap dollars.